Then Peter set up such a yell !— The nurse, who with some water gruel Was climbing up the stairs, as well As her old legs could climb them-fell And broke them both-the fall was cruel The Parson from the casement leapt And all the rest rushed through the door, And cursed his father and his mother; And raved of God, and sin, and death, And said, that with his clenched teeth, As he was speaking came a spasm, And wrenched his gnashing teeth asunder Like one who sees a strange phantasm He lay, there was a silent chasm Betwixt his upper jaw and under. And yellow death lay on his face; And a fixed smile that was not human Told, as I understand the case, That he was gone to the wrong place:- Then there came down from Langdale Pike A cloud, with lightning, wind and hail; It swept over the mountains like An ocean, and I heard it strike The woods and crags of Grasmere vale. And I saw the black storm come The Devil was in it :-he had bought Peter for half-a-crown; and when The storm which bore him vanished, nought That in the house that storm had caught Was ever seen again. The gaping neighbours came next day— PART THE SECOND. THE DEVIL. THE DEVIL, I safely can aver, Has neither hoof, nor tail, nor sting; Nor is he, as some sages swear, A spirit, neither here nor there, He is what we are; for sometimes A thief, who cometh in the night, With whole boots and net pantaloons, Like some one whom it were not right To mention ;-or the luckless wight, From whom he steals nine silver spoona. But in this case he did appear Like a slop-merchant from Wapping, And with smug face, and eye severe, On every side did perk and peer Till he saw Peter dead or napping. He had on an upper Benjamin (For he was of the driving schism) He called the ghost out of the corse ;- The Devil knew not his name and lot, Peter knew not that he was Bell: Each had an upper stream of thought, Which made all seem as it was not; Fitting itself to all things well. Peter thought he had parents dear, Solemn phiz in his own village; Where he thought oft when a boy He'd clomb the orchard walls to pillage The produce of his neighbour's tillage, With marvellous pride and joy. And the Devil thought he had, Of an unjust war, just made The world is full of strange delusion. That he had a mansion planned In a square like Grosvenor-square, That he was aping fashion, and And all this, though quite ideal,- After a little conversation, The Devil told Peter, if he chose, He'd bring him to the world of fashion By giving him a situation In his own service--and new clothes. And Peter bowed, quite pleased and proud, And after waiting some few days For a new livery-dirty yellow Turned up with black-the wretched fellow Was bowled to Hell in the Devil's chaise. PART THE THIRD HELL HELL is a city much like London- Small justice shown, and still less pity. His wits, or sold them, none knows which; He walks about a double ghost, And though as thin as Fraud almost Ever grows more grim and rich. There is a Chancery Court; a King An army; and a public debt. Which last is a scheme of paper money, There is great talk of revolution And a great chance of despotismGerman soldiers-camps-confusionTumults-lotteries-rage-delusion Gin-suicide-and methodism. Taxes too, on wine and bread, And meat, and beer, and tea, and cheese, There are mincing women, mewing, Lawyers-judges-old hobnobbers Are there-bailiffs-chancellors- Things whose trade is, over ladies To lean, and flirt, and stare, and simper, Grows cruel, courteous, smooth, inhuman, Thrusting, toiling, wailing, moiling, And all these meet at levées ;- Suppers of epic poets;-teas, Breakfasts professional and critical; Lunches and snacks so aldermanic That one would furnish forth ten dinners, Where reigns a Cretan-tongued panic, Lest news Russ, Dutch, or Alemannic Should make some losers, and some winners * One of the attributes in Linnæus's description of the Cat. To a similar cause the caterwauling of more than one species of this genus is to be referred;-except, indeed, that the poor quadruped is compelled to quarrel with its own pleasures, whilst the biped is supposed only to quarrel with those of others. What would this husk and excuse for a virtue be without its kernel prostitution, or the kernel prostitution without this husk of a virtue? I wonder the women of the town do not form an association, like the Society for the Suppression of Vice, for the support of what of their order. may be called the "King, Church, and Constitution" But this subject is almost too horrible for a joke. |